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Pasta is a beloved food staple. It may be a foolproof crowd-pleaser, but cooking it is still harder than it looks.
For one, many home cooks weren’t actually taught to cook it correctly. But fret not! Hopefully learning from these common mistakes will help you make a delicious pasta dish in the near future.
10. You’re Rinsing Pasta After Cooking
It’s okay to do this if you need to cool the pasta down for a salad. I
f you plan to eat it hot, it’s best not to rinse and wash the yummy starches away.
9. You Broke The Pasta in Half
Image by Aline Ponce from Pixabay
For some reason, many people assume that mutilating breaking the pasta in half will aid in the cooking process. It doesn’t.
However, breaking the pasta in half will ensure that it fits into a smaller pot if you don’t have a large one.
8. You Drained All The Cooking Water Out
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Actually, cooking water can improve your sauces.
It’s full of starches that can make your sauce better stick to the pasta!
7. You Think Fresh Pasta is Always King
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The truth is that fresh pasta is good for some recipes.
There are other times when it’s okay to use store-bought dry pasta.
6. You Only Add Salt to Your Pasta Water
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It’s important to season your pasta while it cooks, otherwise, it’ll be totally bland.
You can also add other spices to your pasta water. Some recipes even call for wine!
5. You Boil Water The Entire Time
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You can technically keep water at an active (or rolling) boil the whole time, but you can also turn the fire off after about two minutes and use residual heat to cook your pasta.
4. You Never Use The Lid
You can leave your pasta uncovered if you’d like. Using a lid won’t change the overall taste or texture. If you choose to use a lid, all you need to do is supervise your pasta so the water won’t spill out from boiling over.
3. You Add Oil To The Pasta Water
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Most people even use olive oil because they believe it will prevent the pasta from getting stuck together.
Instead, it’s best to give your pasta a stir while cooking.
2. You Throw The Pasta on The Wall!
This won’t actually indicate whether or not the pasta is thoroughly cooked! Pasta gets sticky once it’s been in boiling water long enough. It’s best to taste the pasta yourself instead.
1. You Don’t Add Salt!
Some people add salt because it allegedly allows the pasta to cook faster. This is untrue. However, salt does season your pasta, so make sure to add some.
Are there any other common mistakes people make when cooking pasta? Let’s share the best ways to correct them in the comments.
Meanwhile, happy eating!
